With Malice Aforethought

Victory at Last?

The Sound of Drums

As the party continued up the crude steps, the source of the drumming became clear: Two kobolds were each using their clubs to bang rough drums they had slung about their bodies, barking all the while as they beat a slow, wary retreat.

This new section of the caves was partially shielded from the rest of the cavern system by a broken curtain of stalactites and stalagmites. There also appeared to be two possible exits, one of which was situated behind a rickety throne of sticks and bone that had pride of place on a raised dais.

Mark2 was quickest to react, and shot an arrow at one of the drum bearers, badly wounding, but not killing his target. Very shortly after, an armoured man emerged from the tunnel behind the throne, pushing 2 more reluctant kobolds in front of him. Quickly surveying the party, he declared “I will finish you.”

Hwell attacked the other drummer, missing with his attempted strike, and the armoured man cast a spell, causing S’heldon to be frozen, immobile – both Arglebrath and Ashlour felt the spell wash over them, but shook off its effects.

Ashlour, reacting to the arrival of a spell-caster, himself cast a Wall of Fog, obscuring their new adversary’s line of sight to the party, and Arglebrath – relieved at avoiding being frozen himself – sprang into action alongside Hwell, striking the kobold who also survived, though severely wounded. Balfor and Mark2 attempted further bow-shots but to no avail.

At this point a newcomer appeared from behind the party, a dwarf who volunteered to aid them against their adversaries.

Deciding to take the offence, both Balfor and Mark2 charged through the fog and engaged with the kobolds guarding the human spell-caster.

Although the armoured human fired off one more spell at Arglebrath and Hwell – causing their weapons and other metal objects to grow increasingly warm, the fight ended swiftly as first the kobolds and then the human were dispatched in devastating fashion, although both Arglebrath and Hwell took damage from their increasingly heated metal items, causing Arglebrath to lose consciousness.

Calm after the Storm

The party then patched themselves up and staunched the bleeding of the enemy cleric, and investigated the exits from the area, discovering one area containing shamanistic items, an altar and some bedding. They also noticed the muted sounds of kobolds from the other exit.

On investigating, this was found to be where the remainder of the kobold tribe were hiding. Many females and children as well as 4 males, 2 of which they took to be the shaman and the ‘king’. They also found a picture they took to represent a planned attack on Peakstone. After speaking with the shaman, they found that the only other exit from these caves was the way they had come and that the human had also come from the world outside.